news-2-you Volume XV, Advanced Edition 14 n2y.com November 26, 2012 FLYING CAR Carl Dietrich is working on the Transition. Soon you may see a plane on the road or a car in the sky. One company, Terrafugia, wants to build this flying car. The company was founded in 2006 by Carl Dietrich and some of his college friends at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Terrafugia spent two years testing a flying car, the D2. The D2 allowed them to begin flight and speed testing. The two-seat flying car flew for eight minutes in March of 2012. The word Terrafugia means escape the Earth, and the D2 did just that, for eight minutes! November 26, 2012 http://www.terrafugia.com/ 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 1
news page The Transition is the latest version of the D2. It has two seats, two wings, two tails, four wheels and a small propeller. This flying car will be able Carl Dietrich fuels his fl ying car. to travel 400 miles on a single tank of gas. In the air, the Transition can travel 115 mph. On the road, it can travel 70 mph. The Transition owner will need two licenses: a driver s license and a pilot s license. The pilot will need at least 20 hours of training with a teacher. The new Transition will cost about $280,000. The Transition takes off from an airport. November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 2
news page A Parked Transition The Transition is made for short plane trips. It will fl y from small airports. A Transition owner can park the fl ying car in the garage, with the wings folded up. The owner can just drive the car to the nearest airport. At the airport, the owner can fold the wings down. The propeller will start to turn, and the car will become an airplane. The Transition will take off down the runway and climb into the sky. The pilot will fl y it to another airport. The pilot will land, fold the wings up and drive away. What a great way to beat the traffi c! November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 3
news page A Transition in Flight Carl Dietrich always wanted to design a fl ying car. He combined his education, some smart friends and hard work to make his dream come true. The Terrafugia company is in Woburn, Massachusetts, a small town outside of Boston. Woburn is one of the oldest towns in America. The Transition will soon give us the newest way to travel. Carl Dietrich s fl ying car may be available in 2013. But building a fl ying car means solving a lot of problems. Production has been delayed before, but Carl s dream is almost a reality. Keep your eyes on the sky! Is that a plane? Is that a car? No, it is a fl ying car called the Transition. November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 4
review page 1. WHAT is the main idea of this story? Carl Dietrich went to college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolgy. The Terrafugia company is building a flying car that may be sold in 2013. The flying car seats two people. 2. CIRCLE True or False about the following statements: The flying car will be able to travel 800 miles on one tank of gas. The Transition will cost about $380,000. The Terrafugia company is in Woburn, Massachusetts. True True True False False False 3. ANSWER these questions about the story: WHO founded the Terrafugia company? HOW fast can the Transition travel in the air? WHAT two licenses do Transition owners need? 4. NUMBER these events in the order they happened or will happen: Carl Dietrich founded Terrafugia in 2006. The Transition may be available in 2013. The D2 flew for eight minutes in March of 2012. 5. IDENTIFY some things about the Transition. has two wings drives on the road flies in the sky sails on water has two tails parks in a garage November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 5
think page 1. WHAT makes the Transition special? 2. WHAT special vehicle would you like to build? Why? 3. WHAT city or country would you visit with a flying car? Why? 4. WHY do you like the flying car? Why not? November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 6
Index for Photographs Page 1-http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/images/20120303/9c36ab_ltpflyingcar20120303.jpg Page 2-http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2009/03/Transition_flying_car_Hess.JPG Page 2-http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgr9oZHFIsM/TyVw3SYZipI/AAAAAAAAAro/-kLa8O46J6E/s1600/ runway-mid_610x350.jpg Page 3-http://f00.inventorspot.com/images/TransitionAirplaneHome.img_assist_custom.jpg Page 4-http://www.generalaviationnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/TerrafugiaTransition-2.jpg November 26, 2012 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. page 7